I did it! Gave my notice and will retire in Dec

[BarbH29]

I just turned 55 and let my company know I would be retiring in Dec! I gave a long notice because I will be getting a knee replacement at end of August. My husband and I always had a goal to retire at 55, he was supposed to have retirement medical but that got phased out.



Hubby is 57 and still likes working however that is changing so he may try to reduce his hours (at 30 he will still get medical). Fully prepared if he wants to totally retire.



My plan is to travel (hopefully things will be better by Jan) with my daughter who is a YouTuber (and is able to make a salary), volunteer, spend time with my parents. I will be getting a kayak and hybrid type bike (I have asthma and can't do hills!)


We live in the Northeast and plan on being snowbirds, we will rent a various places and see what we like.


My husband does not like to travel (he has had 2 failed back surgeries) but we will do some smaller trips. I will do bigger trips with kids and friends.


I have been lurking around this board for the last year. Looks like a lot of great people and great information!

[finnski1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarbH29 I just turned 55 and let my company know I would be retiring in Dec! I gave a long notice because I will be getting a knee replacement at end of August. My husband and I always had a goal to retire at 55, he was supposed to have retirement medical but that got phased out. Hubby is 57 and still likes working however that is changing so he may try to reduce his hours (at 30 he will still get medical). Fully prepared if he wants to totally retire. My plan is to travel (hopefully things will be better by Jan) with my daughter who is a YouTuber (and is able to make a salary), volunteer, spend time with my parents. I will be getting a kayak and hybrid type bike (I have asthma and can't do hills!) We live in the Northeast and plan on being snowbirds, we will rent a various places and see what we like. My husband does not like to travel (he has had 2 failed back surgeries) but we will do some smaller trips. I will do bigger trips with kids and friends. I have been lurking around this board for the last year. Looks like a lot of great people and great information!

Congratulations.
55 is a great age to be able to pull the plug.
still young enough to do many physical things. Enjoy

[MBAustin]

Welcome Barb and congratulations! If you haven't found them already, we have a helpful list of things to think about and do before December rolls around:

Some Important Questions to Answer

Enjoy your countdown!

[BarbH29]

thank you! I have thought/planned for all these questions! I'm a little obsessed when it comes to planning with finances and travel!

[Dtail]

Congrats.
Good age to pull the plug.

[Chuckanut]

Congratulations!

[O2Bfree]

Congratulations!! How did your manager and coworkers react to the news?

We have kayaks and bikes and have gotten many days of healthy, low-cost enjoyment out of them.

[street]

Wonderful!
It looks like you have a plan and that is a very important. Have fun and live life.

[Mr._Graybeard]

Congrats Barb. What are you currently doing to make a buck?

[SpinDoctorTX]

Welcome, and good on you! See you around!

[BarbH29]

Management was surprised (not sure why, when I talked about it a lot!) but happy for me! It was good timing as we are all still working from home, about to merge with another company and move further away when we do go back to the offices!

[BarbH29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr._Graybeard Congrats Barb. What are you currently doing to make a buck?

Thanks! I work as Senior Pharmacy Analyst (reporting and analyzing lots of numbers!) I also have my Masters in Teaching so have been tutoring elementary math for the last 9 years.

[momoftwo]

Congrats!!
Hope you enjoy your kayaks as much as we have since retiring last year at 62, also in healthcare.
Sounds like you have a good plan to enjoy your new freedom.

[IMATERP]

Great decision... I retired two days before my 57th B-Day. You now can reap the enjoyment of life...

[pacergal]

Congratulations and welcome. Hope to hear more about you.

[SpinDoctorTX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarbH29 Management was surprised (not sure why, when I talked about it a lot!) but happy for me! It was good timing as we are all still working from home, about to merge with another company and move further away when we do go back to the offices!

It's great that they are supportive. I got tired of waiting for that perfect time to retire. We couldn't have done it not for certain benes for years of service (pension & I pay 50% of a good medical plan premium). We've calculate that we'll run out of money when he is 110 by which time I'd be 121- as if! I might see 100 (last 2 GMs both lived to 101 & my mom is 83 and still drives to Houston from KY at 83yo. I figure I might make 90, but am planning for more. More likely our families might even get a pretty nice inheritance.

My siblings & I were taught about money early on as my parents lived through the great depression & their parents did that for them.

Retiring at 56 is the best decision I've ever made. The only thing that I did wrong was waiting for so long, as these last 3+ yrs have been simply wonderful!